Top Gun Maverick

 

Top Gun Maverick

 Curse is getting long in the tooth, as we all are, but he is still Tom Terrific.  He is one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. This film has surpassed the weekend opening record with a box office of $156m.

 This is not a great movie, but it is fun and watchable. The film is basically a two man story between Tom Curse and Miles Teller. Teller is the son of Curse’s wingman, Goose, who died in the 1986 film. There is history between them. Jennifer Connelly is sprinkled in as the love interest. Their romance is as steamy as lukewarm coffee. 

 Other actors include  Jon Ham as Vice Admiral Beau. He reprises his tight lipped Ad Men persona. Ed Harris has a brief appearance as a stern tight ass admiral; a real stretch for him. There are the other Top Gun pilots talking trash and jockeying for the top spot. In deference to  #metoo there is a female hot shot.

The only other actor from the original film is Val Kilmer. In real life Kilmer is suffering from throat cancer. He talks in a coarse whisper (his voice was created using AI). It is a touching moment when they embrace. Some elements of the 1986 film were recreated. Instead of a bare chested volleyball game, there was a bare chested touch football game (the lady wore a bra). Tom looked great for a 59 year old man child.

 The movie is predictable. There are some surprising twists and turns, but the outcome is  never in doubt. A hallmark of Curse's movies are the stunts. Curse has a reputation for insisting on doing his own stunts. The jet scenes are a major feature of the film. Spoiler alert Tom does not fly the jets himself. The actors are filmed in the jet fighters experiencing crushing G forces; no FX was used. Being crushed by G forces is not flattering and to Tom's credit he is willing to look like a quivering smashed tomato. The Navy charged $11,000 per hour for the jets.

 It is not necessary but you may benefit from seeing the 1986 Top Gun to get some perspective. In a way this is a nostalgic movie linking 1986 with 2022. Tom is not waiting another 36 years for his next sequel, Mission Impossible 8 comes out next year.

 

Cyrano (Amazon Prime)

 

Cyrano (Amazon Prime)

You know when you finally watch a film you intended to watch and your reaction is, ”What the hell”? I had no idea Cyrano was a musical; I am not a musical kind of guy. But in truth is this is a hybrid of a musical and a historical story. The long meaty nose of the original  Cyrano De Bergerac  is replaced by the diminutive height of Peter Dinklage. This is a clever, beautiful and tender movie. The songs are excellent and support the narrative. I have no ability to critique singing, but the songs sounded  damn good. Haley Bennett, who plays Roxanne, clearly is a trained singer. I think Peter Dinklage does speak singing in a singular octave.

Visually the film is beautiful. The period costumes and make up are wonderful. I think for men’s makeup they used Marilyn Mason as their inspiration. The sets are limited to a small town and a battlefield filmed in Sicily.

I enjoyed the film more than I expected. Dinklage gave a heartfelt performance and his unrequited love for Roxanne is palpable. Kevin Harrison Jr. , who plays Christian de Neuvillette, is Roxanne’s tongue tied love interest. Ben Mendelson plays Colonel De Guichi, is totally unrecognizable, another casualty of makeup. The entire cast were excellent.

Unfortunately Cyrano was a victim of Covid. The production cost was $30m with a box office of $6.4m but it has a Rotten Tomato score of 86%. The good news for us it costs only $5.99 to rent.

 

The Northman

 

The Northman

I did not realize Vikings had such bright and shiny teeth, but that underscores my lack of Nordic culture. This film is one of the most brutal and gory movies I have seen in some time. The movie has elements of Norse lore, Shakespearean and Greek tragedy. The plot is simple; Prince Amleth seeks revenge for the murder of his father by his uncle. The story is about the quest for this revenge. Fantasy is in the mix with dead Vikings coming to life with dead eyes and a magical sword that can only be drawn at night. Unless you are a Norse scholar you should brush up on your Viking history. An outstanding feature of the movie is the breathtaking scenery. The story is supposed to be in Iceland but most of the filming was shot in Northern Ireland.

A very buffed Alexander Skarsgard (a.k.a Tarzan) plays Prince Amleth. He is a brooding killing machine, which he does well. William Defoe is Heimer the Fool barely recognizable under his hair; his screen time is brief. Nicole Kidman is the queen and Amleth’s mother. Her character does provide a pivotable twist in the movie. Anya Taylor-Joy (a.k.a The Queen’s Gambit) is Olga the Slavic slave girl who becomes Amleth’s wife. Ethan Hawk is King Aurvandill War-Ravin Amleth’s father; again too much hair and hard to recognize.

The film received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89. The production cost was about $90m but the worldwide box office was only  $53m; it needed to make $200m to breakeven. For the target male audience, Thor is easier to digest.